Introduction

Some explanation here about the context about food waste, and parts involved…

Food waste consumer level

On the consumer level, individuals in the U.S. throw out nearly 25% of the food they bring into their homes. This amounts to a whopping 20 pounds of edible food wasted every single month

Food waste equivalences

While at first sight, this might seem neglibile at an individual level, figures per household and nationwide tell us otherwise: The costs of food waste are very high in terms of money and weight

Where does the food waste go?

For the U.S. - in 2018 -

• Municipal solid waste (MSW): 292.4 million tons
  • 1,788 pounds per person or 4.9 pounds per day
• Food waste in MSW: 63.1 million tons (21.6%)
  • 386 pounds per person
  • Management pathway:
    • Composted: 2.6 million tons
    • Incineration, landfill: 42.8 million tons -> I calculated landfill based on the fact that it was stated previously that it accounts to 24% and incinerator is the difference.
    • Other management methods: 17.7 million tons

Landfills

Food waste is the number one material in American landfills, accounting for 24.1 percent of all municipal solid waste (MSW), according to the EPA.

Emissions

As food rots in a landfill, it emits methane, a greenhouse gas 28 to 36 times more potent than the carbon that comes out of passenger vehicles and accelerates climate change. The greenhouse gases that result from food waste produce the equivalent amount of 37 million cars

Landfills are the third-largest industrial emitter of methane, with food waste alone representing 8 percent of total global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. (Source: Rubincon).

In 2007, the global carbon footprint, excluding land-use change, of food waste has been estimated at 3.3 Gtonnes of CO2 eq. This amount is more than twice the total GHG emissions of all USA road transportation in 2010 (Source: FAO).

Leaks

All landfills leak – some over time and some from day one of operation – leaching toxic chemicals into the ground and the water supply (source)

Landfills: wrap-up

While it is possible to offset the harm derived from foodwaste in landfills through organics recycling, composting, and anaerobic digestion, the best way to reduce these emissions and leaks is to waste less food in the first place.

Surplus waste distribution

U.S. generates 80.8 million tons of surplus food each year

• Surplus food is “All food that goes unsold or unused by a business or that goes uneaten at home – including food and inedible parts (e.g., peels, pits, bones) that are donated, fed to animals, repurposed to produce other products, composted, anaerobically digested, or wasted.” (ReFED, Insights Engine Glossary, p.1)
• Includes agricultural waste for produce (fruit, vegetables) but not for meat, dairy, fish, etc.